The present invention is directed generally to push-fit type fittings, such as elbows, tees, test caps, couplers, and valves, to permit a push-fit connection of a pipe to a push-fit fitting.
As is apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, push-fit fittings typically have an input port with gripper rings to receive a fluid supply pipe or tube to accomplish a push-fit connection to the pipe/tube and an output port which could be a conventional connection or another push-fit connection to which another pipe, tube, hose or other fluid conductor may be connected such that fluid passing through the push-fit fitting is delivered to some desired destination or equipment. A typical use is for conducting water in a plumbing or irrigation system.
When the push-fit fitting is used in a contaminated environment or is in contact with the ground, such as when buried in the ground, contaminants may enter within the housing of the push-fit fitting and reach an internal O-ring and gripper teeth of the push-fit fitting. If such occurs, the contaminants may interfere with proper operation of the push-fit fitting, or damage the push-fit fitting and eventually cause its failure because of the corrosion or dezincification produced by the chemical, mineral and moisture content of the contaminants. As an example, push-fit fittings used in irrigation systems and to connect plumbing from a city water supply to a house plumbing system, may be at least partially, if not entirely, buried in the ground, and even if sitting on the ground, resulting in their exposure to dirt, chemicals in the soil and ground water that may enter the housing and reach the internal O-rings and gripper teeth of the push-fit fitting. In the past in an attempt to avoid such, push-fit fittings required protective bagging.
In view of the above, a need exists for a push-fit fitting that can resist interference with its proper operation and damage when exposed to contaminants.
Like reference numerals have been used in the figures to identify like components.
A push-fit plumbing fitting 10 of the present invention suitable for use in a plumbing, irrigation or other system is illustrated as a pipe or tube coupling/coupler in
The push-fit fitting 10 of the first embodiment shown in
As illustrated in
Each of the axial bores 18 and 20 further includes an axially outward facing, second shoulder 30 positioned outward of the first shoulder 26 at which an O-ring 32 is positioned. The second shoulder 30 holds the O-ring 32 against inward movement. The O-ring 32 has an interior central opening sized to receive the pipe free-end portion 22 therethrough. The O-ring 32 is sized to provide a fluid-tight seal between the outer wall of the pipe free-end portion 22 and an inner wall portion 31 of the axial bore. In each of the axial bores 18 and 20, a third shoulder 33 is positioned outward of the second shoulder 30 and outward of the O-ring 32.
In each of the axial bores 18 and 20, a first gripper ring 34 and a first spacer bushing 35 are positioned outward of the O-ring 32 with the first spacer bushing against the third shoulder 33 that holds the first spacer bushing against inward movement. A second gripper ring 36 and a second spacer bushing 37 are positioned outward of the first gripper ring 34 and first spacer bushing 35, all being arranged in coaxial alignment.
As shown in
An outer circumferential edge wall 46 of each of the first and second gripper rings 34 and 36 may include one or more keyways 48 to engage longitudinally extending keys (not shown) on the inner wall portion 31 of the axial bore 18/20 to prevent rotation of the gripper ring within the axial bore. As shown in
The gripper rings 34 and 36 are made of metal and the teeth 44 may each be provided with a twist in a common direction such that the forward most edge of the teeth is bent at an angle to allow the pipe free-end portion 22 of the pipe 24 to be slid past the sharp edges of the ends of the teeth for easy insertion into the axial bore 18/20 past the first and second gripper rings 34 and 36 and the O-ring 32. The teeth 44 will bite into the tubular conduit to prevent its retraction a straight line (i.e., without twisting) and hence securely hold the pipe free-end portion 22 within the axial bore during normal usage of the push-fit fitting 10. However, the bent teeth 44 permit the pipe free-end portion 22 to be easily removed from the axial bore by rotating the pipe free-end portion to effectively unscrew it from the push-fit fitting 10.
As best seen in
The end portion of the first/second housing portions 14/16 of the push-fit fitting 10 is shown enlarged in
It is to be understood that while the push-fit fitting 10 of the first embodiment is shown using two spacer bushings 35 and 37 and two gripper rings 34 and 36 within each of the first and second axial bores 18 and 20, a single spacer bushing and gripper ring may be used if sufficient to retain the pipe free-end portion 22 within the axial bore when the push-fit fitting is subjected to pressure within the pipes 24. Alternatively, one or both of the first and second axial bores 18 and 20 of the push-fit fitting 10 may use more than a single O-ring 32 and may use more than two gripper rings and spacer bushings to achieve the desired seal with and grip on the pipe free-end portion 22. Further, the O-rings, gripper rings and spacer bushings may be in different sequential positions within the axial bores. Still further, while the push-fit fitting 10 is illustrated as being used with pipes 24, the pipes may have a hard sidewall or have a soft sidewall such as does PEX and PE-RT tubing and tubing made of other materials.
An annular end bushing 52 is positioned in an open-end portion 54 of each of the axial bores 18 and 20, and secured to the first and second housing portions 14 and 16, respectively, in fluid-tight engagement therewith. The end bushing 52 of each of the first and second housing portions 14 and 16 retains the O-ring 32, the gripper rings 34 and 36, and the spacer bushings 35 and 37 within the axial bores 18 and 20, respectively, against axially outward movement. The end bushing 52 may be secured in fluid-tight engagement with the housing portions using an adhesive, welding or by any other satisfactory means. The end bushing 52 extends inward into the axial bore 18/20 sufficiently that an inward circumferentially extending end portion 56 of the end bushing engages the outer perimeter wall portion 38 of the second gripper ring 36, to hold the gripper rings and the spacer bushings tightly sandwiched together between the third shoulder 33 and the inward end portion 56 of the end bushing 52. It also limits axial movement of the O-ring 32 that is positioned between the second shoulder 30 and the inward perimeter wall portions 47 of the first spacer bushing 35.
The end bushing 52 has a perimeter sidewall 58 defining an interior axially extending passageway 60. An inner wall portion 62 of the perimeter sidewall 58 has an axially outward facing, circumferentially extending shoulder 64 that supports an O-ring 66 against inward movement. The end bushing 52 has an outward wall 67, and the O-ring 66 when positioned against the shoulder 64 is positioned inward of the outward wall 67 of the end bushing. The O-ring 66 has an interior central opening sized to receive the pipe free-end portion 22 therethrough. The O-ring 66 is sized to provide a fluid-tight seal between the outer wall of the pipe free-end portion 22 and the inner wall portion 62 of the end bushing perimeter sidewall 58. The O-ring 66 prevents the intrusion of contaminants, such as dirt, chemicals in the soil and ground water when the push-fit fitting 10 is used in an irrigation system or water supply system where the push-fit fitting is buried in the ground or otherwise exposed to such elements, into the interior portions of the first and second housing portions 14 and 16 containing the first and second gripper rings 34 and 36, the first and second spacer bushings 35 and 37, and the O-ring 32. It is noted that without the presence of the O-ring 66, contaminants are free to pass between the outer wall of the pipe free-end portion 22 and the perimeter sidewall 58 of the end bushing, when the pipe free-end portion is inserted through the interior axially extending passageway 60 of the end bushing 52. This results in the contaminants reaching the interior portion of the first/second housing portions 14/16 of the push-fit fitting 10 located outward of the O-ring 32, and coming into contact with the metal gripper rings 34/36 and the spacer bushings 35/37, as well as the O-ring 32. The O-ring 66, by preventing this intrusion, avoids the contaminants interfering with the proper operation of the push-fit fitting 10, or damaging the push-fit fitting and eventually cause its failure as a result of the corrosion or dezincification produced by the chemical, mineral and moisture content of the contaminants. It also avoids the need to place the push-fit fitting into a bag to protect it, a technique which is not always effective. The end bushing 52 is shown in
The O-ring 66 may be inserted into the interior axially extending passageway 60 of the end bushing 52 into position on the axially outward facing, circumferentially extending shoulder 64, and then the pipe free-end portion 22 may be inserted into the interior axially extending passageway 60 and through the interior central opening of the O-ring 66. The pipe may then be passed fully through the O-ring 66 and through the central through-hole 42 of the gripper rings 34/36 and the central through-hole 51 of the spacer bushings 35/37, and finally through the interior central opening of the O-ring 32. Alternatively, the O-ring 66 may be positioned on the pipe free-end portion 22, and then the pipe free-end portion may be inserted into the interior axially extending passageway 60 of the end bushing 52 and passed through the central through-hole 42 of the gripper rings 34/36 and the central through-hole 51 of the spacer bushings 35/37, and finally through the interior central opening of the O-ring 32. Then, the O-ring 66 may be slid along the pipe free-end portion 22 toward the end bushing 52 until in position on the axially outward facing, circumferentially extending shoulder 64 of the end bushing 52. In either case, should it be necessary to remove the pipe free-end portion 22 from the push-fit fitting 10, the axially outward facing, circumferentially extending shoulder 64 permits the O-ring 66 to be easily removed and replaced with a new O-ring before the pipe free-end portion 22 (or a replacement pipe free-end portion) is reinserted into the push-fit fitting.
A second embodiment of the push-fit fitting 10A is illustrated as a Tee in
A third embodiment of the push-fit fitting 10B is illustrated as a 90-degree elbow in
It is to be understood that while all of the embodiments described herein use the first and second gripper rings 34 and 36, the first and second spacer bushings 35 and 37, the O-ring 32, the end bushing 52, and the O-ring 66 described above in each housing portion, the invention is intended to include fittings wherein only one housing portion uses these components. This would include a test cap that typically includes only a single housing portion, and alternative fittings that have more than one housing portion but use these components in only one of those housing portions. As noted above, the invention is intended to also cover push-fit fitting which using any number of gripper rings within a housing portion without any number of spacer bushings or even without any spacer bushings.
The foregoing described embodiments depict different components contained within, or connected with, different other components. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely exemplary, and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being “operably connected,” or “operably coupled,” to each other to achieve the desired functionality.
While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that, based upon the teachings herein, changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention and its broader aspects and, therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scope of this invention. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the invention is solely defined by the appended claims. It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations).
Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.